Alexander Forbes of Brechin The First Tractarian Bishop

This book is the first full-length study of Alexander Forbes, Bishop of Brechin from 1847 to 1875--the first member of the Oxford Movement to become a bishop. His ministry in the slums of Dundee was unique among Anglican bishops. Despite an attempt to try him for heresy in 1860, Forbes continued to work for the defense of Scottish traditions in his church, and for Anglo-Catholic reunion. As leader of the Movement in Scotland, Forbes was a significant influence and example to Tractarians in Britain, as well as to Catholics in Europe. Strong's engagingly written account will be important reading for historians of religion in nineteenth-century Britain.

Rowan Strong is St George Lecturer in Ecclesiastical History at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.